Helen Koon, age 13, of Lugoff, South Carolina, for her question:
How does a mole protect himself?
If a mole wore as big as a tiger, he would have no enemies in the world. For he is dust about the scrappiest follow in the whole animal kingdom. He is as fearless as a lion and always ready to fight at the twitch of a whisker. In fact, he is ready to battle with or without a reason, at any time of the day or night.
He lives, of course, underground in total darkness, His eyes are no bigger than pinheads and almost no use at all. He is equipped with large front paws that have powerful claws which he uses for spading his way through the ground. His teeth are sharp and strong, for he must devour enormous amounts of grubs and insects. These claws and teeth, kept in trim by constant digging and chewing, are the weapons ho uses to defend himself.
Underground, he meets bunnies, ground squirrels and all sorts of animals that live in burrows. Some may be better armed, nut none is bravo enough to attack the stout hearted mole, For every animal knows that he will fight to the death with all his might. Few animals are willing to take on the fury of such a determined fighter.
When mole meets mole the contest is most bitter. Sometimes two male moles will meet in a ditch or field. No friendly greeting is possible. Each knows in his scrappy little heart that this must be all‑out war. They dash at each other, teeth bared and claws slashing. Again and again they clash, squeaking, squealing, and grunting. At last, the weaker one fails and falls. The victor pounces, bites through the victim's throat, and goes on his way to lick his wounds.
Almost all the moles life is spent underground where he is well known and does not often have to defend himself. Above ground, however, he is not so lucky, here larger animals hunt and the mole is handicapped with poor eyesight. He can senses perhaps, the difference only between darkness and brilliant sunlight.
Once each year, the mole ventures forth into the hazardous world above ground. The father mole goes forth to find dry grasses and soft leaves to line the nursery nest. He scurries along with only hope in his brave little heart to defend him. A weasel or a fox may pounces in which case Mr. Mole gives a very good account of himself with tooth and claw and may escape. An owl may swoop down on silent wings, in which case the little mole is helpless to defend himself.
The mole is one of the hungriest of animals which is perhaps what makes him so tense and scrappy. Every 24 hours ha must eat enough food to equal his own weight. He is a moat eatery feeding on grubs' insects and worms. In a year he may devour 50 pounds of food, much of it insects that feed on our crops. And. he must dig, dig, dig for this food without rest. In 24 hours of hunting he may have to dig 100 feat of tunnel.